There's always been an undertone of tension in bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan, historically. Since gaining independence from Pakistan after a bloody genocide, Bangladesh has repeatedly sought an official apology as the first step towards genuine reconciliation.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on 23 August told the media in Dhaka that "the 1971 issue has already been resolved". He pointed to the 1974 Delhi Agreement between Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, claiming Pakistan had apologised formally back then.
Yet the text of that agreement tells a different story.
Did Pakistan ever apologise for 1971?
In Section 10, Pakistan expresses its condemnation and deep regret for any crimes it "may have committed". This phrasing, casual and evasive, stops short of admitting whether any crimes actually took place during the 1971 genocide.
An apology, moreover, was not the sole demand. Bangladesh also asked for the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis and its rightful share of pre-1971 assets.
The 1974 agreement pledged that Pakistan would take back Urdu-speaking non-Bangalees who chose Pakistan during and after 1971, regardless of their original domicile.
But Pakistan failed to keep that promise. Though some were repatriated, large numbers remain in Bangladesh even today.
What happened to the stranded Biharis?
Adding to the grievance, the Lahore High Court ruled in January 2004 that Biharis were citizens of Bangladesh, not of Pakistan. The court declared that "love, affection, and relation are not grounds for granting citizenship to Biharis who wish to emigrate from Bangladesh into Pakistan."
By contrast, Bangladesh's High Court in 2003 and 2008 granted legal recognition to Urdu-speaking residents, confirming their right to vote and obtain national identity cards.
In practice, Bangladesh resolved an issue Pakistan had abandoned.
If Ishaq Dar's claim were true, these legal steps would never have been needed.
Pakistan not only broke a promise made to Bangladesh but also betrayed the Urdu-speaking people who had once turned to Pakistan in hope of salvation.
Islamabad raises the Biharis' plight only when Dhaka presses unresolved issues of 1971, using them as bargaining chips.
How much money does Pakistan owe Bangladesh?
The question of assets is another long shadow.
Bangladesh and Pakistan share a common history of around 25 years, which includes shared foreign reserves, pre-1971 surpluses from trade, and obligations linked to foreign debts.
The eastern wing of Pakistan earned the lion's share of revenue, mostly from its jute and tea exports. By 1971, Pakistan's reserves stood at about $4.25 billion, a portion of which Bangladesh had a legitimate claim.
There were also serious allegations of misuse of aid.
After the Bhola cyclone of 1970, which killed between 3,00,000 and 5,00,000 people, foreign donors sent $200 million to East Pakistan.
Researchers suggest this aid was diverted to Lahore during the Liberation War instead of reaching the affected areas, according to the article by Biswas and Daly (2021), published in Modern Asian Studies.
Bangladesh formally raised claims in 1972, immediately after its independence.
When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto visited Dhaka in 1974, Bangladesh demanded $4 billion. Bhutto retorted that Bangladesh should also shoulder part of Pakistan's pre-1971 foreign debt. Dhaka reluctantly agreed to assume around $360 million of this burden. That would mean Pakistan owed Bangladesh over $3.6 million. Yet Pakistan never returned Bangladesh's rightful assets.
Under Ziaur Rahman's government, the issue was raised again in 1978, but Pakistan remained silent.
Why the 1974 Delhi agreement failed
What Pakistan did not stay silent about was its own grievances. Pakistani businessmen complained about the nationalisation of their properties in Bangladesh and raised the issue of Bihari killings.
Over the decades, Islamabad has shown a pattern: whenever Dhaka asks for justice, assets, or an apology, Pakistan either tries to shift the conversation to its own losses or suggests Bangladesh move forward.
Recently, in April 2025, Bangladesh's interim government prepared to reclaim $4.52 billion of pre-independence assets from Pakistan. But given Pakistan's deep economic crisis, repayment seems unlikely.
Instead, Dar offered words of counsel, saying Bangladesh should "clean their heart" and that "we are a family, and we must act like one". Such elder-brotherly advice is familiar. India, too, once used this tone during Bangladesh's last fascist regime.
Following Dar's statement, the Bangladesh foreign ministry, in a press release, called for an early resolution to the long-standing historic issues in order to establish a solid foundation for enduring and forward-looking bilateral relations.
Can Bangladesh and Pakistan reconcile without truth?
True reconciliation, however, cannot be built on sweet talk alone. South Africa offers a powerful lesson. After apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu's Truth and Reconciliation Commission insisted that perpetrators must first speak the truth.
Forgiveness was not automatic; it rested with the victims and their families. Some chose to forgive; others sought justice. Only then could reconciliation be meaningful.
Dar's recent comments ignore this reality.
When a country faces allegations of genocide, it cannot preach reconciliation without first admitting the truth.
As Bangladesh looks to reset ties with Pakistan, it seems ready to reopen Pandora's box of unresolved issues.
The real question is whether Pakistan is prepared to face the truth and reconcile honestly with Bangladesh and its people.
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